The Snowglobe
by ChoButterfly
Summary: Valentine wishes aren't go so, well... great for Usagi. Could two gifts, one of friendship, one physical, help save the holiday?


She held up the glass globe in the palm of her hands, her vision magnified through the spherical world that danced inside the diminutive orb. The cool wind sifted her hair into tiny flaxen streams behind her body. Her breath danced on the air, as it turned into a light cloud beyond her lips. It fogged on the snow globe that she held close to her face, erasing the image of the snowflakes and tiny cabin that it held within.  
"It's beautiful," she whispered, her voice a mere murmur against the gentle wind that sang through the crisp, clear morning. Her eyes averted from the immaculate gift, staring up at her companion. She sighed, speechless. He shrugged, thrusting his hands into his pockets. Her eyes glimmered brightly, turning into crystalline tears on her face.  
"Thank you..."  
  
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The Snow Globe  
Part One : Friends  
Author: Cho Butterfly  
  
Serena bit her lip, forcing herself to keep from spilling over in tears, as her eyes stared coldly at the empty mailbox.  
  
"Nothing! Nothing whatsoever! You would think that this week of all weeks, there'd be at least one small scrap resembling paper inside this mailbox! How can life be so cruel? I refuse to accept next Friday as a Holiday..." she rambled on, shaking her head profusely. Childishly stomping her feet on the ground, she slammed the mailbox door closed, fuming, as she stomped away from the one thing that had ruined her day.  
  
Who ever thought that a mailbox could do such a thing?  
  
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"Oh, come on, Serena, don't worry so much. You know, not everybody gets letters on Valentine's Day! Still, there are four more days until that day! And no, I refuse to sign your petition to end Valentine's Day. I'm sure you'll get plenty of letters, it's just that perhaps the mailman forgot to come! Remember, four more days!" Ami said meekly, patting an irritated Serena on the shoulder. She stared down at her, forceful smile pressed on her face. Serena shrugged, pulling the sheet of paper and pen away from Ami.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure. Didn't you get a letter today?" Serena cringed, exasperated. All day long, she had been trying to convince people that Valentine's Day, which was ironically in four more days, was not and should not be considered a true holiday. Her attempts, without a doubt, had failed so punily that she had gone so far as to ask the aging, unmarried teachers in her classes to sign the petition. What's worse, the Valentine's Dance was coming up soon, and she had nobody to go with! She stared down Amy, a grim look slapped onto her face like a dull work of paper mache.  
  
Amy stuttered, turning slightly red at the cheeks. "Well, I..." she mumbled, resting a hand on her burning face, jumping back as Serena thrust her face towards her.  
  
"Ah-hah! You see? Even the love hating, no nonsense Amy gets a Valentine Card! But me? Oh, nononono! You see, I don't get anything! And that's why Valentine's Day should be abolished! Because it's an unfair holiday! See, Amy? Can't you see the vile and evil twisted notion of this day?" Serena barked, interrupting Amy. Her face was lit with a passion of rage, her eyes burning with such a fire as never seen before. Amy slowly backed away, afraid that Serena would simply burst. Pop. Just like a bubble.  
  
"Freaking out over Valentine's Day, Meatball Head? Hah, I've gotten at least one Valentine from each girl at my school already, and I still have four more days to go! Oh, but don't worry, I'm sure that in about fifty years, somebody will think of you on Valentine's Day... When they see you in the single's section of the newspaper!" A familiar voice rang out through the Crown Arcade.  
  
Up until now, Serena and Ami had sat blissfully {minus the screaming on Serena's part} at a table in the Crown; but suddenly, panic arose. Serena, livid with exasperation from her current situation, broke down completely.  
  
"Darien..." Serena hissed, turning her head to face the silhouetted figure framed in the door that held the outside world apart from the Crown. She watched as Darien stepped out of the shadows, sunglasses firmly set on the tip of his nose. Amy shook her head, premonitions of an ugly fight about to break out filling her thoughts.  
  
"Well, Meatball Head, what is that in your hands, eh?" Darien hissed cynically, ripping the petition straight out of Serena's hands, watching in delight as her frown dramatically shifted to a look of sheer horror.  
  
"Give that back!" Serena yelled in haste, reaching out to grab the paper from Darien's hands before he saw it. "I don't want your grimy paws on my papers!" She stood on the tips of her toes, clutching at the air, as Darien proudly hovered the paper inches above her fingertips. He chuckled misanthropically, peering at Serena's coveted paper. He smiled, raising an eyebrow at Serena. She jumped up, tearing the paper from his grasp, and pulling it close to her chest. She puffed with anger, glaring at Darien, who attempted to cover a laugh.  
  
"So, Meatball Head, having romance problems, eh?" Darien mused, vicious grin on his face. "Can't stand the thought of everyone around you with admirers, while you're stuck with your little brother as the only one to give you a Valentine's card? Hah!" He crossed his arms over his muscular chest, smug look about his posture.  
  
"Ooh, you! Why can't you just mind your own business, okay, Darien? Ever since I've met you, you've only made my life harder and harder. Can't you pick on somebody else? I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you, I'm sick of Valentine's Day, and I'm sick of just life in general!" Serena said, her voice falling from a bellow to a choked whisper. Darien gasped, seeing the tears in her eyes. She was crying? Wiping a sleeve over her eyes, Serena glared up at him, tears running down her face. "Just leave me alone," she said, her voice almost inaudible, as teary tiger blue eyes clashed with confused sapphire.   
  
Darien raised his arms to his waist, unable to speak. She was crying? The spirited, immature, carefree Serena was crying? And he was the cause of it? No, he had never meant to hurt her; just to tease her. Still, his wits clung to him, as he grew angry with the little girl. He had never done anything serious to hurt her! He grasped for words, trying to sound understanding, but they just came burning from his mouth like vile welts, zealously melting into her skin like a fire. "God, Serena, if you think that your life is bad, take a look at the real world! Stop living in your perfect, imaginary snow globe of a world, won't you? Take a look at reality, and stop thinking you're the only one who suffers! Grow up!" Darien hissed, throwing his arms above his head in blind anger.  
  
Serena stared up at him, cowering back in fear as he raised his hands up. She choked back the tears, rubbing them away angrily from her face. A scowl emerged from within her, growing angry and hateful. She glared at Darien, boiling up with anger. "If it weren't for you, maybe I wouldn't be this way, Mr. Perfect!" she spat out, grabbing the edge of the chair that she had sat on. She gave him one last hateful glare, before spinning around and storming out of the arcade, Amy following right behind her, just as angry as her friend.  
  
Darien clenched his fists at his side, mixed feelings boiling up inside his head. 'How can she be so detestable, the little brat. But still, how can I be so mean? What came over me? She was crying, you dolt, and you made it worse! Why does it have to be so hard? Shouldn't it be that either you hate her, or you love her? I can't stand it!' he thought to himself, silently fuming to himself in the almost bare room.  
  
THWACK.  
  
"Ouch!" Darien exclaimed, feeling the hand thump him on the back of the head. He spun around to see Andrew glowering at him. Darien raised his eyebrows. "What?!?" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"You know why I did that, Darien! Geez, why can't you start being nicer to Serena for a change? That was cold! If I were you, I'd go apologize right now, even though if I were you, I'd never have been so mean to her in the first place!" Andrew exclaimed, raising an eyebrow in disapproval at Darien.   
  
Darien's jaw dropped in surprise at his best friend's anger, as he struggled for words.  
  
"You heard me right! Go get her, Darien!" Andrew said, nudging his elbow into Darien's arm. Darien raised his arms in exclamation, shaking them in front of Andrew's face.  
  
"No, no, wait a second here, Andrew. If the girl wants to go ahead and be like that, let her! It's not my problem!" Darien said, though his eyes mislead his words. They were filled with sadness, probably still upset over the conflict between Serena and himself.  
  
"No, you listen to me, Darien. First off, I know how much you care for that girl. Don't think that you can hide that from me. Secondly, it's your fault she's off crying like that. If you weren't so harsh, maybe you would have had a chance with her a long time ago!" Andrew exclaimed, ushering Darien out the door. Before he could say anything else, Andrew pushed Darien outside, feverently slamming the door shut behind him.  
  
"Just great..." Darien muttered, stuffing his hands inside his pockets. "Now I have to go apologize to her, after what I just did. What if she laughs at me? Wait... What do I care? I'll just go up to her, apologize, and be happy. That's all there is to it." He said to himself, bracing his body against the frail wind the seethed through the trees. It was still so cold...  
  
He walked in the general direction that he assumed Serena would go in, but soon became lost in his own thoughts. His feet took him to wherever they willed him to.  
  
'What is it about her that makes me act so strange whenever I'm around her? It's like my heart aches any time she's near. I can't understand it. Surely, it isn't affection; I've never felt it before, probably never will... How could I like a girl like Serena? So whiny, immature, pestering, wonderful, annoying...  
'How'd wonderful get in there?'  
  
He shrugged off the feeling, finding himself admiring the scenery that passed before him. He gave not a thought to where he was going; just the fact that he was in motion seemed to keep him at bay. His eyes danced around to glimpse the bitter cold air and clouds that formed in the gray skies. Not a single tree bore a leaf, though through the bareness of them, a sublime beauty wrapped through their snow crusted, brown limbs. The wind danced on the branches, making them sway in whispered unity through the dim afternoon. Ah, such was a beauty as this that comforted the lonely soul. Beauty through emptiness.  
  
Regaining his thoughts, Darien found himself looking at the small rolling hills of green blades of grass and shrubs that made up a scanty park. His eyes drifted over the scenery, suddenly stopping on the crown of milky gold hair that belonged to someone sitting atop a dirty brown bench. He shivered, as an uneasy feeling crawled up his spine. Serena. Slowly, he picked up his feet and began to walk again, nearing the girl. With every step that brought him closer to Serena, he began to feel languishing and edgy.   
  
He brought himself to stand beside the bench, silent. He gazed down at Serena who stared mirthlessly ahead of her, not even bothering to pay attention to the visitor that stood by her side. Her gaze stretched out to the curve of the horizon, all feelings inside of her numbed and sleeping. Her lips were pinched together, though hardly with enough effort as most perceived she would have. The wind licked at her strands of hair, sending them in a breeze behind her head. Her hands lay clenched together on her lap, as she sat, unmoving.  
  
"What do you want?" she whispered, surprising Darien, whom had not expected her to recognize him, or even to speak, for that matter. He stared at Serena, who still had not faced him. He bowed his head down, closing his eyes.  
  
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said to you at the Crown. I didn't mean it. I wanted to apologize for all those times I've teased you; I really am regretful for it. I would truly value your friendship, and forgiveness, for that matter. I just wanted to say how sorry I am for any pain I've caused you," Darien said, wincing with pain at every word, as he realized how truly horribly he had treated her. When he opened his eyes, he met with Serena's eyes, wide and curious.  
  
"So you're saying... You're really, truly sorry?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Darien nodded his head, afraid that she would completely blow him off and taunt him. But she did not. Instead, she gave him a shy smile, nodding her head. She stirred slightly, her eyes intent on Darien's.  
  
"And I, Darien, am sorry for being the pest that I have been ever since I met you." She said contentedly, a smug smile on her face.  
  
Darien laughed, amused by the little girl's antics. Slowly, he sat down on the bench next to Serena, gently nudging her over. "Mind if I sit down?" he asked, flashing her a smile that could melt any girl's heart.  
  
She shook her head. "No, not at all." Darien beamed, looking at Serena.  
  
"Oh, and I also wanted to apologize... You know, when I said you lived in a snow globe? You know, snow globes can be really nice things, when you think about it." He said, winking at Serena, who in turn gave him an inquisitious glance.  
  
"How so?" she asked, curiosity bubbling in her words.  
  
Darien shook his head. "I'll explain it later. For now, I'm just glad that we're friends now" he said, smiling at the ground, his eyes not able to look up at Serena for fear that she'd laugh at him. Instead, he felt a petite hand slip into his own. He looked up.  
  
"You know what, Darien?" she smiled, eyes glimmering. "So am I."  
  
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End Part One : Friends  
  
Well? Did you like it any? Was it okay? *grabs reader by the collar* Don't worry there's more to come! Oh, and don't hesitate to read and review... HONESTLY... ^^;; I wrote this about a year ago, and just discovered it, so I'm starting it up again! Teehee! It's… *grabs reader * Okay, isn't it? ^^;  
  
And now, important information!  
  
I would be utterly grateful if anyone would be interested in editing my stories... I'm ain't none too good at them gramma junk! ^^;;  
  
  
Finally, read some of my Magic Knight Rayearth stories! ^^ I'm really proud of them, even though they're really crappy compared to the stuff that I've read ^.^  
  
My Fushigi Yuugi story is pretty odd, too… But I love getting reviews! * hint, hint* They make me sooo happy! Kinda like how I love getting letters, but nobody sends them to me! Pweease review? *puppy eyes *  
  
'Nuff said!  
  
God bless ya'll!  
  
~ Cho  
  
"The world keeps turning, and still I'm yearning, still I'm learning..."   



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